A 1000 AU Scale Molecular Outflow Driven by a Protostar with an age of <4000 Years

Abstract

To shed light on the early phase of a low-mass protostar formation process, we conducted interferometric observations towards a protostar GF9-2 using the CARMA and SMA. The observations have been carried out in the CO J=3-2 line and in the continuum emission at the wavelengths of 3 mm, 1 mm and 850 micron. All the continuum images detected a single point-like source with a radius of 250+/-80 AU at the center of the previously known ~3 Msun molecular cloud core. A compact emission is detected towards the object at the Spitzer MIPS and IRAC bands as well as the four bands at the WISE. Our spectroscopic imaging of the CO line revealed that the continuum source is driving a 1000 AU scale molecular outflow, including a pair of lobes where a collimated "higher" velocity red lobe exists inside a poorly collimated "lower" velocity red lobe. These lobes are rather young and the least powerful ones so far detected. A protostellar mass of M~<0.06 Msun was estimated using an upper limit of the protostellar age of (4+/-1)x10^3 yrs and an inferred non-spherical steady mass accretion rate of ~10^{-5} Msun/yr. Together with results from an SED analysis, we discuss that the outflow system is driven by a protostar whose surface temperature of~3,000K, and that the natal cloud core is being dispersed by the outflow.Comment: 27 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journa